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Trends: Recall the taste of supper clubs

By Bill Daley Chicago Tribune

Posted:
08/28/2013 12:01:00 AM CDT

Updated:
08/28/2013 11:32:17 AM CDT

Supper club restaurants, found more in the Midwest, feature home-style food and are so retro they border on hip. Recreate this at home with dishes such as this relish tray with old fashions. (Bill Hogan/Chicago Tribune/MCT)

CHICAGO -- Supper clubs are a distinct genre of dining out. Usually family-run and usually located near vacation spots in the Midwest, these restaurants are famed for good, homey food, hearty portions and surroundings that transport diners back to the mid-20th century.

That's a good thing. Supper clubs are so retro they seem balanced on the knife's edge of hip these days. And that's why you should conjure one up at home.

"Turn the air conditioning up really high. ... Pull the shades on the windows," says Michael Stern, co-author of "Road Food" and other books chronicling America's dining traditions. "You want it cool and tomblike."

Let the food be the star of the party: Meat (or fish) and potatoes, with plenty of cocktails to wash them down.

"So often, so many people are telling us what we ought to be eating, and saying it not in a spirit of fun but in the spirit of 'you're bad.' Food is one area we don't want to be told what to do," says Stern, a resident of Bethel, Conn. "That's part of the pleasure of a supper club meal. It's a way of thumbing your nose at the nutrition police."

And being bad can be delicious.

"At least at some of the newer places, like Red Stag Supperclub in Minneapolis, people come in for the nostalgia and are surprised by the quality of the food," says Dave Hoekstra, author of "The Supper Club Book: A Celebration of a Midwest Tradition" (Chicago Review Press, 2013).

Here's what you need to transform your home into a supper club, at least for one night.

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STARTERS

A relish tray is traditional, with an assortment of raw and pickled vegetables. "The vegetables are something healthy to nibble on while thinking how big a piece of prime rib you'll have," says Ron Faiola, a Milwaukee-based video producer, director and author of "Wisconsin Supper Clubs: An Old-Fashioned Experience" (Midway, 2013).

Some supper clubs also serve a cheese spread and crackers. So popular has it proven to be with customers of the Moracco Supper Club in Dubuque, Iowa, that the cheese dish is offered in place of the relish tray.

"You can serve it with crackers, broccoli, carrots, any chips," says co-owner Jeanne Heiar, who notes some customers save a bit of the spread to put on their baked potatoes instead of paying extra for shredded cheese.

"That's the world nowadays," she says, chuckling.

COCKTAILS

Have a well-stocked bar; supper club customers arrive thirsty for classic cocktails.

"In Wisconsin, where the old-fashioned is the unofficial state drink, the overwhelming preference is to serve it with brandy instead of whiskey," Faiola writes in his book.

Here's his version: Combine 1 maraschino cherry and 1/2 slice orange with 1 teaspoon sugar and 2 to 3 dashes bitters in a 10- or 12-ounce tumbler. Muddle, or mash, together. Add ice. Add 1 1/2 to 2 ounces brandy. Top off with 7Up. Garnish with an orange slice and maraschino cherry.

MAIN COURSES

"Prime rib is about as supper club as it gets," says Bill Kozlak Jr., proprietor of Jax Cafe in Minneapolis.

Maybe. Many supper clubs do offer prime rib, often on Saturday nights, but they also offer fish fries on Fridays.

Fish is a huge draw at Midwest supper clubs, many of which are located near lakes or rivers. Jax Cafe patrons can net their fish dinner in the supper club's own trout stream.

If meat is what you want and prime rib is too pricey, consider a steak. Kim Bartmann, who is giving an updated twist to the genre at Red Stag Supperclub, goes with a rib-eye with grilled mushrooms, grilled onions and crumbled blue cheese.

Remember, as Hoekstra points out, many supper club faves began in the home and can be transported back quite easily.

Baked is Stern's choice, served with sour cream, butter, bacon or Bac-Os and chives.

Salad? Iceberg wedges rule, often crowned with creamy dressing. Interestingly, the Jax's Kozlak will share any recipe with a customer, except for the family's secret creamy garlic parmesan dressing.

DESSERTS

Every supper club has a roster of desserts to cap the meal. Many customers choose instead to order a creamy, sweet after-dinner drink.

"In Wisconsin, they're made with ice cream," says Jane Wimmer of the Del-Bar, a landmark supper club in Lake Delton, Wis.

One of the more popular requests is a brandy Alexander. Here's how Wimmer makes it: Blend 3 scoops vanilla ice cream with 1 1/4 ounces brandy and -3/4 ounce creme de cacao. Pour into a giant snifter, top with grated nutmeg and a squirt of whipped cream.

MORACCO CHEESE SPREAD

Dave Hoekstra, author of "The Supper Club Book," loves this cheese spread so much he posted the recipe from Iowa's Moracco Supper Club on his book's website, thesupperclubbook.com.

To prepare wild rice: In saucepan, combine wild rice, salt and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Simmer for 35 to 45 minutes or until just tender. Drain if all water has not been absorbed. Toss with 3 tablespoons softened butter and green onions. Spread wild rice evenly in large shallow buttered baking dish. (Note: You may need 2 baking pans to hold all trout.)

To prepare oven: Meanwhile, heat oven to 400 degrees.

To bake trout: Cut remaining 3 tablespoons butter into 6 slices. Season cavities of trout with salt and pepper. Stuff each cavity with 1 lemon wedge and 1 slice butter. Arrange trout over rice. Pour orange juice over trout. Cover with buttered wax paper and foil. Bake for 30 minutes or just until trout flakes.

To serve: Sprinkle wild rice with reserved green onions and orange zest. Garnish each trout with twist of sliced orange and parsley sprig.